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2022 NFL Week 1 Recap
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Joe Toscano – @joeybagovdonuts
PIT 23 CIN 20
After both teams missed game-winning field goal attempts, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell drilled a 53-yard attempt on the final play of overtime to lift Pittsburgh to a 23-20 win in Cincinnati. Two big completions from Mitch Trubisky to Pat Freiermuth on Pittsburgh’s final possession set up Boswell’s game-winning kick.
NE 7 MIA 20
The Miami Dolphins are 1-0 in the Mike McDaniel era after taking down the New England Patriots in the Week 1 opener 20-7. It was an overall dominating effort by the Dolphins to begin the year as they played complimentary football, scoring 10 points off turnovers in the win. At the break they were able to jump out to a 17-0 lead, which matched their largest halftime lead over New England since 1990.
PHI 38 DET 35
Jalen Hurts helped the Philadelphia Eagles hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Detroit Lions in a 38-35 thriller for the opening game of the 2022 NFL season. The Lions scored the final 14 points of the game, but the Eagles were able to hold on, thanks to an Eagles rushing attack that gouged Detroit for 216 yards on the ground.
CLE 26 CAR 24
Baker Mayfield’s quest for revenge came up just short, as the Cleveland Browns defeated the Carolina Panthers 26-24 thanks to a game-winning field goal. This game was a roller coaster, as the Panthers dropped 17 points in the fourth quarter to acquire a 23-21 lead with just one minute left in the game. However, Jacoby Brissett engineered a six-play, 35-yard drive to set up a Cade York 58-yard field goal which landed Cleveland in the win column.
Mayfield completed 16 of 27 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and also rushed for a touchdown. On the other side, Brissett completed 18 of 34 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown.
BAL 24 NYJ 9
Lamar Jackson is betting on himself to cap another big season with a huge payday. The Baltimore Ravens’ star quarterback certainly got off to a terrific start.
Jackson threw three touchdown passes, including two to Devin Duvernay, and the Ravens rolled past the New York Jets 24-9 on a rainy Sunday in the regular-season opener.
”He played a patient, veteran quarterback game,” coach John Harbaugh said. ”He was in control of everything.”
Jackson went 17 of 30 for 213 yards, including a TD to Rashod Bateman, and had one interception. The performance came hours after ESPN reported that Jackson turned down a five-year extension offer worth more than $250 million – with $133 million guaranteed at signing.
JAX 22 WAS 28
Wentz did just that, rebounding from the costly mistakes to complete his third and fourth touchdowns and lead Washington a 28-22 comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in his debut for the team now known as the Commanders.
Wentz finished 27 of 41 for 313 yards and produced enough points to make up for two bad mistakes on the interceptions.
NO 27 ATL 26
Wil Lutz kicked a 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining after Jameis Winston guided a pair of lighting-quick touchdown drives, giving the Saints a 27-26 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Dennis Allen’s coaching debut.
Winston threw for 269 yards after going down last season on Halloween with a knee injury. Michael Thomas hauled in a pair of fourth-quarter TD passes in his first game since the 2020 season, having missed an entire campaign with complications from an ankle injury.
SF 10 CHI 19
Winston threw for 269 yards after going down last season on Halloween with a knee injury. Michael Thomas hauled in a pair of fourth-quarter TD passes in his first game since the 2020 season, having missed an entire campaign with complications from an ankle injury.
IND 20 HOU 20
Matt Ryan rallied Indianapolis in the fourth quarter to force overtime against the Texans in his Colts debut on Sunday, but neither team could score on two overtime possessions each and the game ended in a 20-20 tie.
Mills threw for 240 yards and two scores.
Ryan, playing his first game for Indy after 14 seasons with Atlanta, threw an interception and lost a fumble as he struggled early. But he finally got the offense going late, finishing with 352 yards passing and a touchdown. Rushing champion Jonathan Taylor finished with 161 yards and a TD.
The Texans were outscored 62-3 in two losses to the Colts last season. They looked great through three quarters Sunday.
GB 7 MIN 23
The Packers entered Sunday’s NFC North showdown with the Vikings looking to kick off their fourth straight march to a division title. They left looking like one of the conference’s most questionable contenders, falling 23-7 to their rivals. Although reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers was mostly sharp on his own, his supporting cast post-Davante Adams left a lot to be desired. Minnesota, meanwhile, rolled early and often with the ball in its hands, with star receiver Justin Jefferson exploding for a handful of big plays as part of a more pass-oriented attack from new coach Kevin O’Connell.
KC 44 AZ 21
The Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals met win Week 1 on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium and the matchup was never close. The Chiefs were in control the entire game and dominated even more than the 44-21 final score showed.
Unsurprisingly, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes went off, throwing for five touchdowns. Mahomes had nearly double the passing yards of his opposing quarterback, Kyler Murray, and more than double the number of touchdowns.
Mahomes went 30 for 39 with 360 yards, with the five TDs and no interceptions. Murray went 22 for 34 with 193 yards and two touchdowns.
LV 10 LAC 24
The Los Angeles Chargers are looking to pull off what the other L.A. team accomplished last season by winning the Super Bowl. Their 2022 campaign got off to a solid start as the Chargers defeated the rival Las Vegas Raiders, 24-19.
Justin Herbert completed 26 of 34 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He not only managed the game, but picked and chose his shots, and found success doing so. Keenan Allen led the team with four catches for 66 yards, but exited early due to a hamstring injury. Free-agent addition DeAndre Carter impressed, catching three passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.
As for the Raiders, Derek Carr completed 22 of 37 passes for 295 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while his new wideout Davante Adams caught 10 passes for 141 yards and one score. The Las Vegas offense scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make things close, but turned the ball over on downs the next possession following the two-minute warning, which sealed the deal.
NYG 21 TEN 20
The New York Giants accomplished something they haven’t in six years, winning a season opener. After a Daniel Jones touchdown pass to tight end Chris Myarick, new head coach Brian Daboll made a gutsy call by going for two points after the Giants cut the host Tennessee Titans lead to 20-19. Saquon Barkley powered his way into the end zone off a shovel pass to lift the Giants to a 21-20 victory.
TB 19 DAL 3
Tom Brady as the first 45-year-old starting quarterback in NFL history looked quite a bit like the younger versions.
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys were left with an old, familiar feeling that isn’t quite so fuzzy.
Brady and Mike Evans connected on a punctuating touchdown, Leonard Fournette ran for 127 yards, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Cowboys 19-3 in a season opener Sunday night.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game Prescott needs surgery for a fracture near the thumb on his throwing hand and will miss multiple weeks, a season-altering blow for the defending NFC East champs.
Predictions
DEN – SEA
JT: DEN
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.